The Leafs Trade Kaberle To Boston

New Puck Daddy: scoring goals gets harder in the season’s final third.

******

It’s official – Toronto has traded Tomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins for a late first round draft pick, highly touted prospect Joe Colborne, and a conditional pick (which will be a second or third rounder if Kaberle re-signs with Boston, or if Boston makes the Cup final).

13 years w/ Leafs, and a crapton of points by a defenseman.

That’s some terrific return right there. But, it makes sense - cornerstone defensemen are tough to come by, and those that are acquired are getting a healthy chunk of money (as Dustin Byfuglien’s new 5-year 26 million dollar deal would attest).

And, I’ve written this before – when you can see you’re that close to being a Cup contending team, I say you sell out for it. Which is why I get mad that Philly doesn’t do what they have to do to get someone legit – not just “good” - in net. Same with Washington. From Boston’s standpoint too, you just got Seguin and you have two more top round picks coming up in the next couple years, so you can afford to sell off a few legit prospects, no matter how much you like some of them.

And if you’re a Maple Leafs fan…. well la-dee-da, look at you guys getting the opportunity to be excited about a trade. Most Leafites generally harumph about the half-ass rebuild attempt the Burke era has brought them, so they need not bitch anymore.

6'5 21 year old apparently "plays like he's 5'11"." I see.

Colborne will probably be ready to be an NHL center by the 2012-13 season, which basically means just ride out next year, he’ll probably get some games and NHL exposure, and further fill out until he’s “there.” Add two fairly high picks on top of what they got for Versteeg, and it may be a long haul on the road to redemption, but at least the Leaf road is finally leading somewhere.

Maple Leafs fans have one major thing going for them – Burke will pull the trigger on a deal if and when he has the chance to add a legit NHL star. I’m an Islanders fan. We have like, 15 million in available cap space and are spending even less than that. The rebuild has been slow, but with a lot of our drafted talent rounding into form, we could sign guys like Zach Parise and Brad Richards in the off-season, combine them with our talented young group and boom – you’re fighting for home ice in the playoffs.

Alas, that’ll never happen.

For Maple Leaf fans, when the house is almost rebuilt, your organization isn’t afraid to put a roof on it.

Comments

Justin: You know far more about hockey than me, but I do have the advantage of watching the Flyers games and I disagree with you about the need for a “legit” goaltender. Currently Boucher is 6th in the NHL in GAA at 2.27 and Bobrovsky 12th at 2.42 (Vokoun 2.53) Both are tied at .920 save % with only 9 better including the presumably best available goalie Vokoun at .922. Only Thomas and Rinne are better than .925. Boosh is also better in shootouts this year than Vokoun. Admittedly the Flyers have better D and good D-minded forwards who also produce offensively but still I think Boosh and Bob are better than “non-legit”! Could we have afforded Versteeg had we taken the cap hit of a high priced goalie? Besides I thought you didn’t like the Flyers. I will agree in the past skimping on goal hurt the Orange and Black but I think this year the bargain priced but very good goalies will do the job!

As Leafs fan this trade absolutely broke my heart. Kaberle was the last bit of familiarity on a team that has been overhauled and turned over from one end to the other and back over the last several years. It was upsetting to see him in a Bruins sweater today. “I wanted to stay, but I didn’t want to be the guy to tell Burkie I wouldn’t go.” A dignified professional and team player, he will be sorely missed anchoring the blueline.

Speak Your Mind

Search

About Justin Bourne

I'm a hockey player turned writer. After playing for Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA (NCAA), I carried on with an NHL tryout (New York Islanders in 2007) before spending a couple seasons in the AHL/ECHL (last year was 2008-09). My father, Bob Bourne, won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the '80's, as did my fiancee's dad, Clark Gillies. I'm now the web editor for theScore's hockey blog "Backhand Shelf."

Donate to Bourne’s Blog

Appreciate what I do? I'm recently married, starting life in a new city and trying to make it as a writer. Help justify the time put into Bourne's Blog by keeping it afloat with the occasional pittance. Thanks for reading.

Easy Canvas Prints.com

DirecTV Arizona

Contact Justin

If you have a great suggestion, question, idea, or just some awesome pictures that would suit the flavour of Bourne's Blog, send them to me at JTBOURNE@GMAIL.COM and I'll happily try to work 'em in. In general, I prefer all other remarks to be left in the comments section so we can participate in the conversation together.

Sports

My Oscar Speech

To my Mom, Dad, Glenn, brother Jeff and my fiance Brianna... thank you, I love you guys. Also, Uncle Ken, you've been an immeasurable help in this and I'm infinitely grateful. All my love to Aunt Kathy and Grandma, two of my favourite people in the world. Also to the extended family in Saskatchewan, I miss you guys. Thanks to friends like Neil Corbett and Dave Cunning for your support in an obscure endevour like this, and to friends like Charlie Kronschnabel and Nick Lowe for being guys who'll like me and not care (or possibly ask) why or what weird project I'm scheming on now. And thanks to all you long-lost-but-still-important friends I didn't mention. You know who you are.